I Give The Glory to God and All the Blessings Fall Down on Me

It's been a long dry and hot summer in the Midwest. Between trying to keep my balcony plants well watered and wincing at the thoughts of my electric bill as the air conditioner churns away, the Olympics this week has brought a welcome respite.

It's awesome to watch the swimmers winning gold, silver and bronze, but the highlight for me so far as been women's gymnastics. I was not familiar with any of the young women on this year's team, but from the start one member stood out to me from the beginning. It could have been her smile that stretches across her face, or the sparkle in her dark eyes, not to mention her uncanny and wonderful gift to fly through the air, twisting and flipping before she nails a near perfect landing every time.

But, wasn't until Gabby Douglas won the gold the other night and she said this in a one-on-one interview right after the medals ceremony, that I knew what attracted me the most to her.

As a recently published author after years of hard work I've been so aware of how much God has been involved in my desire to write, as well as my growth as a writer. It's only been since I totally surrendered the process and my writing career to Him for His glory that things began to happen last year. I've tried various ways of saying this, but a sixteen-year-old girl said better than I ever have.

Congratulations to Gabby Douglas. May you have many years of golden blessings falling down on you!

Random Thoughts on a Hot Saturday in July

Some random observations on July 7, 2012.

The Chicago area is entering what could be the fourth consecutive day of a high temperature in the 100s. Yep. That's correct. It's a race to see which happens first. The 100 degrees or the cool front that is supposed to come through later this afternoon. As I write, it's already 93 degrees at 9:10 a.m.

High heat stresses not only humans and animals, but also plants. Yesterday, I became distracted and forgot to water my balcony plants. By early afternoon my New Guinna Impatiens had shriveled and drooped over the edges of their pot, looking like they'd met their untimely end. I raced out there and poured huge amounts of water into the dirt. A couple hours later it stood tall and proud, ready to face it's adversary (the heat). It made me think of how sometimes I feel spent and exhausted. Drained. Then I spend an hour in God's Word (the Bible) and like my plant, I am ready to face whatever confronts me, feeling strengthened and refreshed. Often times Jesus speaking of Him being living water for the soul.

Mom and me swimming in Lake Geneva

Revisiting the past through old photographs is satisfying to my emotions. Yesterday, I looked at pictures from my childhood and remembered old playmates and houses we had lived in. My pre-K years of ages 2 weeks to 5 years were idyllic and life was good. I didn't care if my parents and I lived in a teensy apartment. To me it was a castle. I was loved, sheltered, and fed. We lived in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin not far from one of the most beautiful lakes in the state, and summers were spent at the beach. I wish I could step into those photos and relive just one day, still being me today but observing it from my child's POV.

Now called The Maxwell Mansion, this mansion  was my home when I was a toddler.

Why don't we appreciate what we have when we have it? A few months back I wrote a blog post about living in a mansion during my toddler years. That post was on The Barn Door. (Note: If you read that post, my publish date for Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is now April 2013.) Of course back then I had no idea of the history of that house, and I wonder if even my parents did. We lived in what was designed to be the servant's quarters. Oddly enough my dad's boss was the house's owner, but he went to work at an office. In a way he was living in quarters designed for the owner's servant, and that much hadn't changed, although he was by then called an employee. I've since learned that the man who built the house, Philip Maxwell, was one of the town's founding fathers and Maxwell Street in town was named for him. But the house was built on Baker street, another surname strongly connected to those who helped found the town.

I'm currently on the planning committee for my high school reunion. Many years have flowed under the bridge of life since we left high school. Back then we were divided into cliques. What I always find amazing is that after some years, the lines between groups began to blur until by now they have all disappeared. None of the people on the committee were my best buddies in high school, and I'm finding myself regretting I never tried to get to know them better back in the day. It's never too late to forge new friendships, even with people you knew years ago.

My church has a Saturday night service. The campus where it takes place is a good 20-30 minute's drive for me so I don't attend it often, unless I am already out somewhere. But this summer I have gone a few times, and today will be another one of those times. Last time I attended Sat. service, the next morning I took my daily walk fairly early in the morning. As I was passing a building in my condo complex, a lady who attends my church came out the front door, on her way to first service. There I was in shorts and a tee shirt and she looked at me with questions sparking from her eyes. LOL. I suddenly felt I needed to explain that I already went to church last night. It has occurred to me how many people where I live know me as a church-going woman and are used to seeing me heading to my car with Bible bag on my shoulder on Sunday mornings. If I'm out walking instead on a Sunday, do they think I'm backsliding? Do they even care?

Yesterday I found my old report cards, starting with kindergarten right up to college transcripts (minus the ones from my freshman year which I burned). The older I got, the more the teachers said I had trouble staying on task and applying myself. My chemistry teacher even called me lazy. Oops. Looking back, I think he was mistaken. I wasn't lazy, but was caught in the trap of being a right-brained person trying to learn something better suited to left-brainers. Anything to do with chemistry flew right over my head. I didn't "get" it and that probably led to my lack of interest in his subject of choice. I needed the credit and squeaked by with a C at the end of the year. Nowadays, educators are much more aware of learning styles and right-brain, left-brain issues. They have better figured out how to teach us creative types. Back then we were just lumped in like square pegs in round holes.


Right now I'm sitting here with things that need doing on this very hot day. I think writing this blog is a way of procrastinating. I'd best get busy before more time elapses and I prove my chem teacher right. I could always blame it on the heat!

The End is not Really The End...

This past Monday I figuratively typed "The End" on my latest manuscript, Love Will Find a Way, and sent it off to my editor. I didn't really type "The End," but typing that last period on the last sentence for the last time is a great feeling.

Of course after that page, I had to add a few recipes since my character is still cooking up a storm as a chef, followed by a teaser for the last book in the series, Loves Reward, and then tweaks on my bio.

It won't be the last I'll see of that manuscript. I'll be getting edits and maybe rewrites, but for now I'm busy cleaning up and organizing my office space. Ever since February I've been rather oblivious to most things around me. If I wasn't writing, I was working on the ACFW Genesis writing contest. So things sat. I have a new storage cabinet on order to hide away a lot of what is sitting out and once that arrives and is put together, everything will look so much better.

This week is set aside for getting my house in order and then its on to researching and gathering information to put together a three-book proposal set in my home area of Lake Geneva, this time in the 19th century and early 20th century. I'm very excited about the ideas flying around in my head. Then it's on to plotting Love's Reward.

But at least my office will be organized.

Blog Tour: Waiting for Sunrise - Awesome Summer Read!

For years, one of my author friends, Fay Lamb, has raved about Cedar Key, Florida—a small island off the west coast of Florida close to where the coastline bends to become the Florida Panhandle. Fay has described the place as a wonderful haven for writers to find their muse and spend sun-splashed days writing, beach combing and eating great seafood has made me want to go there. But, so far, I never have.

Thanks to author Eva Marie Everson’s Cedar Key series, however, I am able to vicariously enjoy this little spot of heaven on earth.

A while back, I devoured the first book in the series, Chasing Sunsets, and now Revell Publishing is releasing the second book, Waiting for Sunrise. I devoured that story as fast as I did the first.

Waiting for Sunrise begins in the forties and carries the reader through the fifties and into the sixties. I love that time period for stories, and because of that, I am always able to find nit-picky misused details in stories that are not of that era. In this case, Everson did her homework well.

 

But more than that, it’s a study in how one person’s bad decision can sometimes affect others for years to come. Or maybe it’s not so much a bad decision, but one reluctantly made because the person feels they have no choice.

Patsy Milstrap’s mother had to make such a decision regarding Patsy when Patsy was old enough to remember. Patsy wants to erase her past forever, and tries to stuff it down and ignore it, but the pain remains. Her husband hears about Cedar Key and in a kind gesture, takes Patsy there for a few days of escape. There on Cedar Key Patsy comes face to face with a familiar face from her past, and she can find no way of escape.

Everson weaves a story of healing and forgiveness, lacing it with Southern charm that keeps you turning the pages until you get to the last. Then you want to say, “More please.”

So go get yourself a copy, settle onto a porch swing with a big glass of sweet tea at your side, and give it a read. You won’t regret it!

And to encourage you to look into this book even more, Eva Marie is running a contest to win a free Kindle Fire. Go to her website at and sign up!

A copy of this book was provided to me by Revell Publishing for purpose of review. The opinions expressed here are totally my own.

ACFW Authors Bring Good Reads to Start the Summer!

Hi all,

With June comes the question, "What books are you taking to the beach, cabin, or maybe just your own back deck, to read this summer. Here's a feast of new June releases from ACFW authors to start you on the right track.

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.

Lily (Song of the River) by Diane Ashley and Aaron McCarver -- Desperate for financial independence, Lily Anderson has embarked upon a riverboat venture. Will she learn to trust God's leading or head into disaster? Lily's partner, Blake Matthews, is initially stymied, then smitten by the Mississippi miss. Can he anchor her heart, or will Lily fall for another man's wiles? (Historical from Barbour).

A Promise for Miriam by Vannetta Chapman -- Miriam King loves the children of Pebble Creek and is content teaching in the one room schoolhouse, then Gabe Miller steps into her life and everything changes. (Contemporary Romance from Harvest House).

Sophie's Daughters Trilogy by Mary Connealy -- The little girls from Petticoat Ranch are all grown up with love stories of their own...you didn't think Sophie's Daughters would grow up to be quiet little things, did you? (Historical Romance from Barbour).

Love in Disguise by Carol Cox -- When Ellie Moore wins a job as an undercover Pinkerton operative, she finds that playing a part in real life is far different than acting out a role onstage. Will the man who captures her heart still care for her when he learns the woman he's fallen in love with doesn't exist? (Historical Romance from Bethany House).

A Dream of His Own by Gail Gaymer Martin -- Quinn O'Neill feels to blame for his family's death and longs to release the guilt he feels, and when he meets Ava Darnell life takes a positive turn as he helps Ava earn his trust...but suspicion nearly undermines their relationship while he perseveres to encourage Ava to have faith that dreams of healing and family just might become reality. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired).

End of the Trail by Vickie McDonough -- Brooks Morgan won Raven Creek Ranch in a poker game, but when he goes to claim what's his, he finds a woman with a shotgun living in his house-and she claims she isn't leaving. (Historical Romance from River North (Moody Publishers).

Proof by Jordyn Redwood -- What does a victim do when DNA testing sets a guilty criminal free? (Medical Suspense from Kregel).

Walks Alone by Sandi G. Rog -- A Cheyenne warrior bent on vengeance. A pioneer woman bent on fulfilling a dream. Until their paths collide. (Romance from White-Fire Publishing).

The Hidden Life by Adina Senft -- An Amish spinster finds love where she had given up hope in the second book of the Amish Quilt trilogy. (Contemporary from Faith Words (Hachette).

Winning the Widow's Heart by Sherri Shackelford -- When Texas Ranger Jack Elder stormed the isolated Kansas homestead, he expected to find a band of outlaws. Instead, the only occupant is a heavily pregnant woman-and she's just gone into labor. A loner uneasy with emotion, Jack helps deliver widow Elizabeth Cole's baby girl and can't get back on the trail fast enough. The robber and murderer he's after killed one of Jack's own, and he vows to catch the man. But when he returns to check on Elizabeth and her little one, he discovers that she may hold the key to his unsettled past-and his hoped-for future. (Historical Romance from Love Inspired).

Double Exposure by Susan Sleeman --When photographer Jennie Buchanan unknowingly captures a drug-cartel meeting on film and the cartel tries to kill her, her ex-boyfriend risks everything to expose the truth-about the drug smugglers, the past and the future together he still wants. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired).

The Director's Cut by Janice Thompson-- Full of the humor and crazy family dynamics Janice Thompson fans have come to love, this colorful story gives you an inside look at Hollywood and a healthy dose of romance. (Contemporary Romance from Revell).

Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer -- All he ever cared about were his brothers and his land, but when a good deed goes awry, Travis Archer is stuck with a bride who endangers both. (Historical Romance from Bethany House).